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Ficlet: Story Time

Written for the b7friday"It was a dark and stormy night" challenge a couple of weeks ago, 450 words set PGP.

Story Time

It was a dark and stormy night, and a shot rang out. Or at least it sounded like it. Vila's eyes widened in shock as he clutched at his blanket. "What the hell was that? Someone shooting at us? Again?"

"Thunder," said Soolin. "Go back to sleep." She pulled her own blanket up and rolled over as rain rattled against the walls of the cabin.

Avon grinned from the far corner, his long teeth a faint gleam in the gloom. "You might like to know, Vila, that a bolt of lighting creates plasma at temperatures approaching 28,000 degrees Celsius. The noise is the shock-wave."

"I was right then: plasma cannon. Even the bloody weather on Gauda Prime's armed!" There was another flash and a crash, and Vila pulled his blanket over his head.

"All right for you, isn't it? I've spent all my life in a dome or a spaceship." Vila jumped at another bolt. "Distract me, someone. Take my mind off it. And no cracks about me not having one," he added savagely, getting in before Avon could.

"Would a story help, Vila?" Tarrant asked tiredly.

Vila cheered up. "That'd be nice."

"All right, you tell it then."

Vila thought for a moment. "How about one from the old days on the Liberator? When Bl-- when Gan was still around?"

"Go on," Soolin said sleepily.

"It was a dark and stormy night--"

"In space, Vila?" said Avon sardonically.

"Why not? It's always night in space, and there was a meteor storm." Vila glared in the direction of Avon's corner. "And a shot rang out."

"On the Liberator?" Soolin asked with interest.

"Outside it. It was a pursuit ship, firing plasma bolts at me. So there I was, trying to dodge meteors and shoot back; bit unfair, really."

"I assume you managed." Dayna sounded amused.

"He's still here, isn't he?" said Avon. "More's the--" and he stopped.

So did Vila.

"Go on," said Tarrant.

"Well, long story short and all that, I was on watch alone and didn't have time to call anyone, so by the time Gan turned up to spell me, it was all over. 'What's the matter Vila?' he said. 'You look a bit pale.' So I told him and he said, 'Never mind, all's well that ends well. Let me tell you a story. I said that'd be nice, and he said--" Under his blanket, Vila grinned. "'It was a dark and stormy night, and a shot rang out--'"